How Do You Read Guitar Tablature?

To read guitar tablature, match each horizontal line to a string, play the fret number written on that line, and follow the numbers from left to right. Numbers directly above one another are played together. That is enough to begin decoding a simple passage, even before you know the names of its notes.

The tricky parts are keeping the string order straight and recognizing what the tab leaves out. Start with a short section rather than trying to read an entire song at once.

Match the six lines to your strings

For a six-string guitar, tab has six horizontal lines. The top line represents the thinnest, highest-pitched string; the bottom represents the thickest, lowest-pitched string. In standard tuning, their labels run e, B, G, D, A, E from top to bottom. Lowercase “e” sometimes distinguishes the high E from the low E. This is the arrangement shown in Fender’s guide to reading tabs.

“Top” describes the printed tab, not which string is physically nearest the ceiling while you play. Locate your thin high E string before following the top line. That small check prevents a surprisingly easy reversal.

Before playing, read the tuning instructions. An alternate tuning changes the notes produced by the same fret positions. Also check for a capo instruction: numbers are commonly counted relative to the capo, so zero means the string sounds without an additional fretting finger. Follow the particular arrangement’s directions. Howard Wright’s tab notation guide explains this convention.

Read fret numbers as positions

A number on a string tells you which fret to use. It does not tell you which finger to use. A zero means an open string, and 12 means the twelfth fret, not fret one followed by fret two. Unless a capo instruction changes the reference point, count frets from the nut at the headstock end of the neck.

You do not need to identify each pitch to follow tab. The string and fret together give you the playing location, as Berklee’s guitar notation lesson explains.

Here is an original four-note reading exercise in standard tuning, without a capo:

e|-----------0-----|
B|-----3-----------|
G|--------2--------|
D|--0--------------|
A|-----------------|
E|-----------------|

Read across all six lines from left to right:

1. Pick the open D string.
2. Play the third fret of the B string.
3. Play the second fret of the G string.
4. Pick the open high E string.

Do not finish one string’s line before moving to another. The next event is whichever number lies next to the right, even when it appears on a different string. Guitar Tricks demonstrates this reading direction.

If two numbers share a vertical column, sound those notes together instead. A larger stack represents several strings played together, often as a chord. A blank string line does not ask you to add that string to the sound.

Find the rhythm separately when necessary

The exercise above gives an order but no precise note lengths. For this practice round, deliberately play one note per slow, steady beat.

Plain text tabs often omit exact rhythm. Gaps may suggest timing, but counting dashes is not a dependable way to measure beats. Look for rhythm symbols or listen to a reliable recording while following the passage.

Some tabs include rhythmic stems; others appear underneath standard notation. In the latter format, use the aligned notation to learn when each tabbed note starts and how long it lasts. Yamaha explains how notation and tablature line up.

Check the symbol key before adding techniques

Letters and marks between numbers can change how you produce a note. Common examples include:

• h: Hammer-on. Sound a higher fret with your fretting hand without picking again.
• p: Pull-off. Release a higher fretted note to sound a lower one without another pick stroke.
• / or \: Slide toward a higher or lower fret.
• b: Bend the string to raise its pitch. A following number may identify the target pitch’s fret, not a fret you should slide to.
• x: Often a muted, percussive note rather than a clear pitch.

Alfred Music’s technique guide explains these common markings. Publishers and tab writers use different conventions, including curved lines and arrows, so the arrangement’s own legend takes priority.

For your first attempt, identify the strings and frets slowly, then add the rhythm, then any marked techniques. If something sounds wrong, check the string line, fret, tuning and capo instructions before trying to play faster.